Biden gets blamed by Harris allies for the vice president's resounding loss to Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden's name wasn't on the ballot, but history will likely remember Kamala Harris' resounding defeat as his loss too.

As Democrats pick up the pieces after President-elect Donald Trump's decisive victory, some of the vice president's backers are expressing frustration that Biden's decision to seek reelection until this summer — despite long-standing voter concerns about his age and unease about post-pandemic inflation as well as the U.S.-Mexico border — all but sealed his party's surrender of the White House.

“The biggest onus of this loss is on President Biden,” said Andrew Yang, who ran against Biden in 2020 for the Democratic nomination and endorsed Harris’ unsuccessful run. “If he had stepped down in January instead of July, we may be in a very different place.”

Biden will leave office after leading the United States out of the worst pandemic in a century, galvanizing international support for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion and passing a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that will affect communities for years to come.

But having run four years ago against Trump to “restore the soul of the country,” Biden will make way after just one term for his immediate predecessor, who overcame two impeachments, a felony conviction and an insurrection launched by his supporters. Trump has pledged to radically reshape the federal government and roll back many of Biden's priorities.

“Maybe in 20 or 30 years, history will remember Biden for some of these achievements,” said Thom Reilly, co-director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University. “But in the shorter term, I don’t know he escapes the legacy of being the president who beat Donald Trump only to usher in another Donald Trump administration four years later.”

Biden on Thursday avoided directly addressing the electorate's seeming repudiation of his presidency. Instead, he noted that Americans will feel the effects of the administration's signature legislative efforts for years to come.

“Don’t forget all that we accomplished,” Biden said in a brief Rose Garden address attended by Cabinet members and top aides but not by Harris. “It’s been a historic presidency — not because I am president but because of what we’ve done. What you’ve done.”

He issued a statement shortly after Harris delivered her concession speech Wednesday, praising her for running an “historic campaign” under “extraordinary circumstances.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Democrats got caught up in a wave of anti-incumbency in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that upturned governments in democracies around the globe irrespective of ideology. She did not directly respond to questions about criticism that Biden waited too long to bow out.

“He believed he made the right decision,” Jean-Pierre said at her daily briefing.

Only about 4 in 10 voters in the 2024 presidential election approved of how Biden handled his job as president, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide. Roughly 6 in 10 disapproved, and Donald Trump won a strong majority of those voters who were dissatisfied with Biden.

Some high-ranking Democrats, including three advisers to the Harris campaign, expressed deep frustration with Biden for failing to recognize earlier in the election cycle that he was not up to the challenge. The advisers spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

Biden, 81, ended his reelection campaign in July, weeks after an abysmal debate performance sent his party into a spiral and raised questions about whether he still had the mental acuity and stamina to serve as a credible nominee.

But polling long beforehand showed that many Americans worried about his age. Some 77% of Americans said in August 2023 that Biden was too old to be effective for four more years, according to a poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs.

The president bowed out on July 21 after getting not-so-subtle nudges from Democratic Party powers, including former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California. Biden endorsed Harris and handed over his campaign operation to her.

Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton, one of several Democratic lawmakers who publicly pressed Biden to step aside this summer, said Thursday on CNN that the Democratic Party “would have been much better off" if Biden had left the race earlier.

Yang argued that Democratic Party leaders also deserve blame for taking too long to push out Biden. With few exceptions, most notably Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, Democrats shied away talking publicly about Biden's age.

“Why was this not coming from any Democratic leaders?" Yang said. “It’s a lack of courage and independence and an excess of careerism, if I just keep my mouth shut, we’ll just keep on trucking along.”

The campaign was also saddled by anger among some Arab American and young voters over its approach to Israel's conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an ally of Biden and Harris, said in a statement that Democrats lost the thread on working-class Americans' concerns.

“Will the big money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lessons from this disastrous campaign?” the Vermont independent said. “Will they understand the pain and political alienation that tens of millions of Americans are experiencing?”

Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison took to social media Thursday to push back on Sanders' critique, saying that Biden was “the most-pro worker President of my lifetime.”

Harris managed to spur far greater enthusiasm than Biden was generating from the party's base. But she struggled to distinguish how her administration would differ from Biden's.

Appearing on ABC’s “The View” in September, Harris was not able to identify a decision where she would have separated herself from Biden. “There is not a thing that comes to mind,” Harris said, giving the Trump campaign a sound bite it replayed through Election Day.

The strategists advising the Harris campaign said the compressed campaign timetable made it even more difficult for Harris to differentiate herself from the president.

Had Biden stepped aside early in the year, they said, it would have given Democrats enough time to hold a primary. Going through the paces of an intraparty contest would have forced Harris or another eventual nominee to more aggressively stake out differences with Biden.

The strategists acknowledged that overcoming broad dissatisfaction about rising costs in the aftermath of the pandemic and broad concerns about the U.S. immigration system weighed heavy on the minds of voters in key states.

Still, they said that Biden had left Democrats in an untenable place.

Harris senior adviser David Plouffe in a posting on X called it a “devastating loss.” Plouffe did not assign blame and said the Harris campaign “dug out of a deep hole but not enough.” The post was later deleted.

At the vice president's concession speech on Wednesday, some Harris supporters said they wished the vice president had had more time to make her pitch to American voters.

“I think that would have made a huge difference," said Jerushatalla Pallay, a Howard University student who attended the speech at the center of her campus.

Republicans are poised to control the White House and Senate. Control of the House has yet to be determined.

Matt Bennett, executive vice president at the Democratic-aligned group Third Way, said this moment was the most devastating the party has faced in his lifetime.

"Harris was dealt a really bad hand. Some of it was Biden’s making and some maybe not," said Bennett, who served as an aide to Vice President Al Gore during the Clinton administration. “Would Democrats fare better if Biden had stepped back earlier? I don't know if we can say for certain, but it's a question we'll be asking ourselves for some time.”

Associated Press writers Matt Brown, Chris Megerian, Zeke Miller and Linley Sanders contributed to this report.

President Joe Biden departs after speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden departs after speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Joe Biden walks out of the Oval Office to speak in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Joe Biden speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Joe Biden arrives to speak in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

President Joe Biden speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Joe Biden walks to speak in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden after speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Joe Biden, right, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, participate in a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris hugs President Biden during the Democratic National Convention Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

FILE - Vice President Kamala Harris listens as President Joe Biden speaks about distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, in the East Room of the White House, May 17, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

New York at (3-13) at Philadelphia (13-3)

Sunday, 1 p.m., EST, CBS

BetMGM NFL Odds: Eagles by 3 1/2

Against the spread: New York 4-11-1; Philadelphia 10-6

Series record: Eagles lead 91-86-2

Last meeting: Saquon Barkley rushed for 176 yards to lead Philadelphia to a 28-3 victory in New York on Oct. 20.

Last week: Giants defeated the Colts 45-33. Eagles routed the Cowboys 41-7.

Giants offense: overall (29), rush (22), pass (27), scoring (31).

Giants defense: overall (24), rush (31), pass (10), scoring (23).

Eagles offense: overall (6), rush (1), pass (30), scoring (7).

Eagles defense: overall (1), rush (10), pass (1), scoring (T-6).

Turnover differential: Giants: minus-7; Eagles: plus-10.

Wide receiver Malik Nabers. The No. 6 overall pick has 104 catches for 1,140 yards and 6 touchdowns and is four receptions shy of topping Steve Smith’s franchise mark of 107 catches in a season, set in 2009.

QB Tanner McKee. The third-string quarterback could start with Jalen Hurts and backup Kenny Pickett sidelined by injuries. McKee threw two touchdown passes and put the finishing touches on a rout against Dallas.

If Barkley played, it would have been New York’s rushing defense vs. Barkley. The Giants are second from the bottom in the NFL by allowing an average of 141.6 rushing yards per game. In Barkley’s place, the Giants rushing defense will be contending with Kenneth Gainwell.

Giants: Defensive lineman Armon Watts (knee) was injured in the first half against the Colts last week and didn’t return. He underwent surgery and won’t play on Sunday, coach Brian Daboll said on Wednesday. C John Michael Schmitz (ankle) and LB Micah McFadden (neck) did not play against Indianapolis. Neither practiced on Wednesday. RT Evan Neal (rib/hip) also didn’t practice on Wednesday.

Eagles: QB Jalen Hurts (concussion) did not play last week and missed the final three quarters against Washington the week before after getting injured early against the Commanders. The Eagles held a walkthrough on Wednesday rather than a full practice, but Hurts would not have participated had it been a full practice. Either way, he likely will not play this week to heal up for the playoffs. TE Dallas Goedert (knee), out since Dec. 1 and LB Nakobe Dean (abdominal), who missed last week’s game against Dallas, would have been full participants on Wednesday if the Eagles held a full practice rather than a walkthrough. Many starters either didn’t participate on Wednesday because of rest and several others were limited participants.

The Eagles are NFC East champions for the second time in three seasons. The Giants finished last in the division for the second time in the past four. New York lost the inside track for the top pick in the draft by beating the Colts last week.

Giants QB Drew Lock passed for 309 yards and four touchdowns without an interception and ran for a 5-yard score in the win over the Colts that snapped a 10-game losing streak. … The victory over Indianapolis kept the Giants from becoming the first team to go 0-9 at home, but also knocked them out of control of the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. … New York had six plays of 30 or more yards against Indianapolis. … Ihmir Smith-Marsette returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score last Sunday. … WR Malik Nabers has 104 catches for 1,140 yards and 6 touchdowns and is four receptions shy of topping Steve Smith’s franchise mark of 107 catches in a season, set in 2009. ... Philadelphia is locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC and will host either Washington or Green Bay on January 11, 12 or 13 in a wild-card game. If Washington loses Sunday to Dallas and Green Bay beats Chicago, the Commanders are headed to Philadelphia. If the Commanders win, the Packers are the No. 7 seed and play the Eagles. … Philadelphia needs 35 points to eclipse the club record of 477, set in 2022. … Brown joined Mike Quick (1983–85) as Eagles receivers to reach 1,000-plus receiving yards in three straight seasons last week. Brown stands at 1,079 yards and has surpassed 1,000 in each of the past three seasons. … Zack Baun has a career-high 150 tackles, which ranks third in the NFL. … C.J. Gardner-Johnson has four interceptions in the past four games.

For those still playing in fantasy leagues, Nabers could have another big game to close out his stellar rookie season.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

New York Giants quarterback Drew Lock (2) gets past Indianapolis Colts linebacker E.J. Speed (45) to score a touchdown on a 5-yard run in the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee (16) reacts after throwing a touchdown pass to wide receiver DeVonta Smith during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)